Daily Best Bets

1) “iHeartRadio Music Awards,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. This week has overflowed with pop music – Billboard awards, plus the finales for “Idol,” “Voice” and “Masked Dancer.” Now comes one more surge: Usher hosts and Elton John (shown here) gets the Icon Award. Performers include Taylor Swift, Roddy Ricch, Dua Lipa, Twenty One Pilots and Megan Thee stallion, plus The Weeknd with Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars with Anderson.Paak, Dan + Shay with Doja Cat and more. Read more…

1) “The Masked Singer” finale, 8 p.m., Fox. Three people remain, disguised as Piglet (shown here), Black Swan and Chameleon. And chances are, all of them are skilled music pros. The ringers were unmasked quickly – Danny Trejo, Caitlyn Jenner, Logan Paul, even Kermit the Frog; lately, we’ve had skilled singers – Bobby Brown, the Hanson trio, Tyrese Gibson and, last week, Omarion. Last week, we also learned that the clue-spewing chicken was Donnie Wahlberg, the husband of startled judge Jenny McCarthy. Read more…

1) “The Voice” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. At the end of the night, the show will have its 20th champion. First, however, come lots of guest performances. That includes Blake Shelton’s fiancee (Gwen Stefani, with Saweetie) and his former “Voice” colleague (Adam Levine, shown here). Also performing: Justin Bieber, Thomas Rhett, OneRepublic, Kelsea Ballerini, Snoop Dogg, Ben Platt, Lauren Daigle. Read more…

1) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The show has its final five now, with Blake Shelton (as usual) at an advantage. He has two people, Cam Anthony (shown here) and Jordan Matthew Young; the others have one apiece — Victor Solomon, Rachel Mac and Kenzie Wheeler. Now they sing and viewers vote; on Tuesday, after lots of guest performances, we’ll have the 20th “Voice” champion. Read more…

1) “American Idol” finale, 8-11 p.m. ET, ABC. Last week, voters picked their final three – Willie Spence, Grace Kinstler and Chayce Beckham. That ousted Casey Bishop, drawing surprise and complaints – similar to when Chris Daughtry finished fourth, 15 years ago. Tonight, we’ll get music from nine finalists (one dropped out) … from the judges … and from Alessia Cara (shown here), Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Lindsey Buckingham, Mickey Guyton, Leona Lewis, Chaka Khan, Fall Out Boy and Macklemore. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live” season-finale, 11:29 p.m., NBC. Two years ago, Anya Taylor-Joy (shown here) and Lil Nas X were mostly unknown; now they’re host and music guest. She was up for two Golden Globes this year; she won for “The Queen’s Gambit” and was nominated for “Emma.” He saw his “Old Town Road” start on the country chart, cross over to pop … and spend 17 weeks at No. 1. Breaking barriers, he became the first Black and openly gay man to win a Country Music Association award. Read more…

1) “The Dick Van Dyke Show – Now in Living Color,” 8 p.m., CBS. Here are two episodes from a great comedy (shown here in a promo photo), now with color added by computer. The second – from the final season– lets Mel (Richard Deacon) finally stand up to Alan (Carl Reiner), his boss and brother-in-law. The first was co-written by Garry Marshall, recalling a real-life time when he had to secretly rewrite a play. Marshall would go on to produce “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley, “Mork and Mindy” and more. Read more…

1) “Last Man Standing” series-finale, 9 and 9:30 p.m., Fox. It’s been a strong run for this comedy – nine seasons, spanning 10 years and two networks. The farewell, however, reminds us of that this is a very ordinary show, with forced humor salvaged (barely) by likable characters. The 9 p.m. episode – a “camping boot camp” – is so-so. The 9:30 one gives some awful lines to Jay Leno, but also has its moments, using a stolen truck (shown here) as a metaphor for a canceled show. The truck, at least, is a classic. Read more…

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Easily the best of NBC’s three Chicago shows, “P.D.” (shown here in a previous episode) offers a taut hour that spills into next week’s season-finale. Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker) is a police reformer who joined the show this season; now her son needs help, in what seems like a quick case, then grows. One bit of inaction strains credibility; also, viewers will be disappointed that this is the rare “P.D.” episode that doesn’t wrap things up. Still, it’s a strong, solid hour that will bring them back next week. Read more…

1) “Prodigal Son” series finale, 9 p.m., Fox. This gothic drama ends in its fashion – deep, dark, nasty, sometimes wildly over the top. At the core is Martin (Michael Sheen), a surgeon and serial killer. Last week, we learned that his prison doctor (Catherine Zeta-Jones,shown here with Sheen) is just as cruel. After he escaped, she took him hostage … then added his son, a police profiler. Now the guys have escaped and find a convenient case to solve. There’s much more, in an hour that combines brilliant acting and fiercely excessive plot twists.
Read more…